The Sandman is 2022 fantasy drama television series based on the 1989–1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics.
The series was developed by Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg for the streaming service Netflix, and is being produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
‘The Sandman’ Cast and Characters
‘The Sandman’ stars Tom Sturridge as Dream, with Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar in supporting roles.
- Tom Sturridge as Morpheus / Dream: The king of dreams and the ruler of the Dreaming.
- Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar: The ruler of Hell. The series’ incarnation of Lucifer is much closer to the character’s original depiction in the comics than his depiction in the 2016 Lucifer television series. Neil Gaiman noted that it would be difficult to reconfigure the Lucifer version, portrayed by Tom Ellis, so he would fit back into The Sandman, although having Ellis reprise his role was considered.
- Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne: The librarian of the Dreaming. The character is a gender-flipped version of Lucien, who is the Dreaming’s librarian in the comics.
- Boyd Holbrook as the Corinthian: A nightmare who escaped the Dreaming.
- Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess: A charlatan occultist.
- Asim Chaudhry as Abel: A resident of the Dreaming, based on the Biblical Abel.
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as Cain: A resident of the Dreaming and Abel’s brother, based on the Biblical Cain.
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death: Dream’s kinder and wiser sister.
- Mason Alexander Park as Desire: Dream’s androgynous sibling, with whom he has a rivalry.
- Donna Preston as Despair: Dream’s sister who is twins with Desire.
- Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine: An occult detective and ancestor of John Constantine. Coleman plays two versions of the character, one in the eighteenth-century and another in the present day.
- Joely Richardson as Ethel Cripps: Burgess’s lover and the mother of John Dee.
- Niamh Walsh as young Ethel Cripps.
- David Thewlis as John Dee: Cripps’s insane son whose endeavor to find “truth” jeopardizes the world. Gaiman described Dee as a character “who could break your heart and keep your sympathy while taking you into the darkest places.”
- Kyo Ra as Rose Walker: A young woman searching for her lost brother who becomes a prey of the Corinthian.
- Stephen Fry as Gilbert: Walker’s charming bodyguard.
- Razane Jammal as Lyta Hall: Walker’s friend and a widow mourning her husband Hector Hall.
- Sandra James-Young as Unity Kinkaid: Walker’s benefactor who has recently awakened from a century-long slumber.
- Patton Oswalt as the voice of Matthew the Raven: Morpheus’ emissary.
- Mark Hamill as the voice of Mervyn Pumpkinhead
Dream/Morpheus/the Sandman (Tom Sturridge)
Dream is one of the Endless, a family of physical manifestations of aspects of the universe. The lord of the Dreaming, Dream was captured by occultists seeking to imprison his older sister, Death. Finally free after 105 years, he sets out to recover the power that was stolen from him and rebuild his broken realm.
English actor Tom Sturridge was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a play for his roles in the Broadway shows Orphans and Sea Wall/A Life. You can see him on Netflix in the Victorian-era British romance Effie Gray and the thriller Velvet Buzzsaw.
The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook)
The Corinthian is a nightmare who escaped from the Dreaming and became a prolific serial killer who claims the eyes of his victims. He schemes against Dream, hoping to avoid being destroyed or pressed back into serving mortals rather than preying on them. He’s as charming as he is dangerous.
Kentucky-born actor and model Boyd Holbrook also worked with Sturridge on Velvet Buzzsaw. Other past roles include DEA agent Steve Murphy in Narcos and cyborg villain Donald Pierce in Logan.
Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance)
The scheming occultist Roderick Burgess uses a ritual to try to capture Death in an attempt to gain immortality and bring back the son he lost, but he winds up catching Dream instead. While disappointed with the result, Burgess is able to use magical items stolen from his prisoner to increase his wealth and influence.
English actor Charles Dance has received four Emmy nominations for his roles in The Crown, Savage Kingdom and Bleak House. He also played the Machiavellian Lord Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones.
John Dee (David Thewlis)
Burgess’ illegitimate son, John Dee, steals a ruby imbued with Morpheus’ power and manipulates it so that only he can harness it to make dreams come true. The artifact twists Dee’s mind, and he’s confined to a mental institution for most of his life.
English actor David Thewlis has plenty of experience playing villains, portraying the criminal mastermind V. M. Vargas in the third season of Fargo, the god of war Ares in Wonder Woman (which was written by The Sandman showrunner Allan Heinberg) and the Shame Wizard in Big Mouth and its spin-off, Human Resources.
Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong)
The Dreaming’s librarian, Lucienne, is one of Dream’s most faithful servants. Lucienne does her best to keep Dream’s realm running during his captivity, even as it falls apart without its ruler’s power.
You can also see Ghanian actor Vivienne Acheampong on Netflix in the British science fiction show The One.
Matthew (Patton Oswalt)
A human who dies while in the Dreaming, Matthew is transformed into a raven and serves as Dream’s companion and assistant. He also serves as an audience surrogate, asking plenty of questions as he tries to understand his new master and the powerful forces he interacts with.
Matthew is voiced by stand-up comedian and veteran voice actor Patton Oswalt, who starred as the cooking rat Remy in Ratatouille. You can watch his Emmy- and Grammy-winning comedy special, Talking for Clapping, on Netflix.
Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman)
Johanna Constantine is connected to the exorcist and occult superhero John Constantine, the star of the DC Comics series Hellblazer,which was contemporaneous with The Sandman. The character known for chain-smoking, battling demons and being an unreliable jerk has previously been portrayed by Keanu Reeves and Matt Ryan.
English actor Jenna Coleman is best known for playing Clara Oswald, the companion to Matt Smith’s version of the Doctor in Doctor Who. She also played Marie-Andrée Leclerc, the girlfriend of the serial killer Charles Sobhraj, in the thriller The Serpent.
Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie)
Once the wisest and most powerful angel in heaven, Lucifer Morningstar rebelled against God and became the ruler of Hell. Neil Gaiman’s version of the biblical character received his own spin-off comic book series, Lucifer, which was adapted into a TV show of the same name starring Tom Ellis as the fallen angel.
The powerful British actor Gwendoline Christie played Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones and the First Order Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. She’ll also appear in the upcoming The Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday.
Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste)
While most humans fear Dream’s older sister, Death, she’s always kind to them, bringing the dying to her realm with a smile and kind words. Death existed at the beginning of the universe and will also be there at the end. Despite the massive burden of her job, she’s always willing to help Dream and tries hard to get him to understand people better.
British actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste played the neuroscientist Simone Garnett in The Good Place and the attorney Taylor Harding in Why Women Kill. She also appears in the fourth and fifth seasons of the animated show Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.
Desire (Mason Alexander Park)
Dream’s younger sibling, Desire, believes that Dream is arrogant and has spent thousands of years scheming against him, often with the help of their twin sister, Despair. While most of these plots have failed, Desire still wants to see Dream brought low.
Nonbinary actor Mason Alexander Park played the title character of Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the first national tour of the Broadway show and portrayed the drug trader Gren in the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop.
Merv Pumpkinhead (Mark Hamill)
The Dreaming’s jaded janitor, Merv, is a scarecrow with a jack-o’-lantern for a head. He’s tasked with working on new construction and cleaning up damage done to Morpheus’ realm, but prefers reporting to Lucienne rather than his intimidating boss.
Mark Hamill became famous for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise but is an equally renowned voice actor, most notably playing the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series. You can also hear him being villainous as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Hal Carter (John Cameron Mitchell)
Hal Carter is a drag queen who dreams of being a Broadway star but currently lives in Cape Kennedy, Florida, where he converted his grandmother’s house to a B&B. He’s extremely friendly and welcoming to his highly eccentric tenants who have practically become a family.
John Cameron Mitchell wrote, directed and starred in the 2001 musical film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which earned him best director at the Sundance Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy. He also recently played the Tiger King, Joe Exotic, in the limited series Joe vs. Carole.
Rose Walker (Vanesu Samunyai)
Rose Walker possesses a rare power that can break down the barriers between the Dreaming and the waking world. The 21-year-old orphan just wants to get a job and find the brother she lost when her parents separated, but she’s endangered by Dream’s enemies, who seek to use her abilities against him.
This is the first major role for Samunyai.
Lyta Hall (Razane Jammal)
The young widow Lyta Hall lived in the same apartment building as Rose Walker and became her de facto guardian after Rose’s mother died. Lyta keeps seeing her dead husband when she sleeps, a side effect of her proximity to Rose and her powers.
You can also see British-Lebanese actor and model Razane Jammal in the Egyptian horror series Paranormal.
Series info
- TV Network: Netflix
- Premiere Date: Aug 5, 2022
- Genre: Drama
- Executive producers: Allan Heinberg , David S. Goyer , Neil Gaiman , Mike Barker
This content is based on data from multiple web sources. If you see any errors, please contact us.
